Hell hath no fury like a footballer scorned

The sight of Wayne Rooney getting emotional as a result of being substituted wasn’t unusual. Football is a passionate sport, and Rooney is a passionate player. However, despite his obvious ability, he’s a rank amateur in the misbehaving stakes, his tantrums fading into insignificance compared to others who made misbehaving an art form.

Eric Cantona: was suspended from Manchester United in 1995 as a result of karate-kicking a Crystal Palace fan. Oddly, sympathies were with Cantona, and even now the fan on the receiving end of a flying Eric is subjected to hateful comments.

Robbie Fowler: his behaviour wasn’t so much bad, as strange. Following allegations of cocaine use, Fowler attempted to proclaim his innocence by pretending to sniff the white lines on the pitch. (I think most people wondered what he was smoking as well.) In another incident, he taunted whiniest man in football, Graham Le Saux by repeatedly bending over, a jibe at rumours about Le Saux’s sexuality – rumours Le Saux denied, often and at length.
Robbie Savage: the evil genius of badly behaved footballers. Despite being awarded more yellow cards than any other player, he’s only been sent off twice – that takes talent! Then there was Poogate: Savage discovered a cunning means of getting at the ref, Roy-Keane-style ranting wasn’t for him. Instead, he used the referee’s toilet leaving it in an,umm, unpleasant condition, which gives a whole new meaning to the term, professional foul.